The Pittsburgh Pirates might not be the top World Series, let alone postseason contenders, that many of the other teams all across Major League Baseball are. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an exciting time to be a fan.

Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin have not just the Pirates fanbase, but all of Major League Baseball buzzing about their potential. They aren’t the only reasons for optimism for the Pirates fanbase, but they are the main catalysts.

Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic found in a recent fan survey that, compared to 2025, there is a massive 60% surge of optimism among Pirates fans for the 2026 season.

60% more Pirates fans are optimistic than last year

Nesbitt shared that the Pirates come in at a 78.8 percent optimism for the 2026 MLB season, which ranks 13th in all of Major League Baseball, ahead of teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and plenty of other contenders.

This survey was done ahead of the 2026 season, just as it has been for the last four years. In 2025, there was only 18.7% optimism in the Pirates. In 2024, fans were a bit more optimistic at 40.1%, and in 2023, it was a 31.9% optimism score.

But, all the way back in 2022, only 4.1% of fans were optimistic about the Pirates. It’s not a surprise, as the team wasn’t exactly in a good spot.

More: Three ways Pirates’ Paul Skenes could lose NL Cy Young Award

Even for the last few years, it’s felt like a listless franchise. But now, they not only have some fun young players like Skenes, Griffin, and Bubba Chandler, but they have also made a few noteworthy offseason moves with Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe.

The Pirates aren’t the best team in the NL Central, but there is plenty to be optimistic about going forward with their young core and a bit more spending than normal.

This percentage would likely go down after the rough Skenes start to the season, along with Oneil Cruz’s struggles.

But, there’s still plenty of reason for Pirates fans to be optimistic about the 2026 season, as this Pirates team might be the best they’ve had in a while.

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